Baltimore Oriole Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesBaltimore Oriole
Adult male
Medium-sized, sturdy-bodied songbird with a thick neck, long legs, and pointed bill. Adult males have an entirely black head and back with an orange rump and orange outer tail feathers.
© fernando Burgalin Sequeria / Macaulay LibraryAlajuela, December 29, 2018Adult female
Thick-necked songbird with a long, pointed bill. Adult female plumage is highly variable ranging from a brownish to yellowish head and back. Note yellow tail and yellow undertail coverts.
© Ryan Schain / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, May 11, 2011Adult male
Note fairly long, sharply pointed bill—a useful feature to identify members of the blackbird family. Males are brilliant orange and black, with orange shoulder patch and broad white wingbar.
© Daniel Jauvin / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, May 15, 2021Not all videos have sound
Adult female
Female plumage is highly variable. Some have brownish heads and backs. Note yellow tail and undertail coverts.
© Bob Dunlap / Macaulay LibraryMinnesota, May 10, 2011Immature female
Immature females have a grayish back with faint streaking and a pale yellow wash on the head and breast. Note yellow tail.
© Sarah Gustafson / Macaulay LibraryVirginia, January 18, 2017Adult male
Song is a rich whistle, rising and falling in a few phrases.
© Benjamin Clock / Macaulay LibraryMichigan, June 04, 2011Not all videos have sound
Female/immature male
Females and immature males are variable, but note pointed bill, yellowish-orange underparts, and two white wingbars.
© Marky Mutchler / Macaulay LibraryIowa, May 29, 2017Adult male
Flashes yellowish to orange outer tail feathers in flight.
© kurt countryman / Macaulay LibraryWyoming, May 19, 2017Adult male
Orioles often come to oranges offered at backyard feeding stations.
© Eric Liner / Macaulay LibraryNew York, May 01, 2006Not all videos have sound
Adult male
Found in open woodland, forest edge, orchards, and stands of trees along rivers, in parks, and in backyards.
© Andrew Spencer / Macaulay LibraryOntario, May 06, 2015Female
Eats berries, other fruits, nectar, and insects.
© Alix d'Entremont / Macaulay LibraryNova Scotia, November 30, 2020Adult male
Usually forages in treetops among fine twigs and leaves, where it can be hard to see despite its bright colors.
© Benjamin Clock / Macaulay LibraryMichigan, June 04, 2011Not all videos have sound
Adult male
Often visits fruit feeders. Note orangish outer tail feathers and black hood.
© Winston Poon / Macaulay LibraryOntario, May 19, 2017Similar SpeciesOrchard Oriole
Adult male (Orchard)
Orchard Orioles are noticeably smaller than Baltimore Orioles. Male Orchard Orioles are rich chestnut, never bright orange like Baltimore Orioles.
© Paul Poronto / Macaulay LibraryMichigan, June 01, 2016Similar SpeciesOrchard Oriole
Female (Orchard)
Female Orchard Orioles never show any orange tones like female Baltimore Orioles. They also have unmarked grayish-yellow backs while female Baltimore Orioles have some streaking on the back.
© Evan Lipton / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, October 20, 2015Similar SpeciesBullock's Oriole
Adult male
Bullock’s Oriole occurs mostly west of the Baltimore Oriole's range, but the two species occasionally hybridize in the Great Plains. Male Bullock’s have orange (not black) faces and a larger white patch in the wings compared to Baltimore Orioles.
© Shawn Billerman / Macaulay LibraryWyoming, May 11, 2015Similar SpeciesBullock's Oriole
Female
Female Bullock's Orioles have a whitish belly whereas female Baltimore Orioles have an orangish belly.
© Janey Woodley / Macaulay LibraryTexas, May 27, 2017Similar SpeciesAmerican Robin
Adult male
Some people occasionally mistake American Robins for Baltimore Orioles, but robins are thrushes with shorter bills, rounder heads, solid-brown backs, and a more subdued shade of orange on the breast.
© Ashley Bradford / Macaulay LibraryVirginia, March 14, 2017Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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Species in This Family
Troupials and Allies(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Icteridae)
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